The Other Realm

She was so bored of normal people, they were just so....normal and....boring. so she decided to visit her most favourite pet and toy in the palace playground, which these normal, boring people call the palace-dungeon.

She entered her private rooms and with a graceful wink of her hand a big painting of herself, cuddling a fluffy rabbit with big eyes nearly popping out of it's head, floated aside, revealing a secret down twirling staircase.

Fenaly remembered the day when she by incident heard a conversation between two of her chambermaids cleaning the room. One of them had looked disgusted at that painting and called it "the choking grasp of the monster". The day after, there was one fluffy rabbit more, hopping through the palace gardens.

With a wicked grin on her face, Fenaly began hopping down the narrow stairway to her playground. Passing by different cells she waved to a small gnome, spinning straw into finest gold; In another cell fire dragons, magically bound, constantly breathing their flames into a big hole, providing a pleasant temperature to the whole castle; A third cell fashioned like a big garden with a bunch of fluffy animals to cuddle and caress.

But they all were left behind as Fenaly entered the last of the doors. Despite the horror-tales of the normal people, it was a nice and cozy room, with book shelves and flowers covering the walls, big chairs near a large, open fireplace and a big carpet lying on a beautiful stone floor.

Fenaly closed the door behind her and released a sigh of relief and joy. She sat down in the fluffiest and coziest chair and watched the dancing flowers.

You and I, that are watching this scene, might think it was a wonderful, sweet situation. Even after we learned about the evil jokes and black heart of Fenaly, yet we might think that this girl, sitting in this really cozy chair, was a nice and caring person after all. We could be lured in thinking so, was it not for the man in robes, hanging on the wall just above the fireplace, magically bound and imprisoned by Fenaly herself.

Looking up from the flames Fenaly's gaze wandered higher until her eyes met the eyes of a man in flowing, a bit tattered robes. With a grin on her face, she began to speak: "So how are you this fine day, my visitor, hmm?"

Suddenly Roozle's eyes began to gleam and without opening his mouth, Fenaly heard: "Help me, Fenaly ...hel.....e"

Sweating and panting for breath Fenaly awoke in the resting place of her clanhall. She blinked a few times to get accustomed to the light and still dazzled looked around where she was. A shivering fit sent goose bumps all over her body as she remembered the intensity of the dream and the evil things she did and the wicked thoughts she had. And poor Roozle on the wall, helpless calling for help....Fenaly shivered again and began to dispel these unpleasant memories. Gathering up she went over to a spring to refresh herself and totally wake up. After cleaning herself and combing her long hair carefully she got fully dressed and began to prepare breakfast, making plans for this wonderful morning.

Later that day Fenaly was wandering through the streets of Kettin, enjoying a delicious piece of chocolate cake, a local speciality. As she was passing by the Kettin sorcerer shop a loud discussion coming from within turned her attention. Nosy as she was, she entered..

" I can't believe that", Nurmiz-d'ahn replied. "I bet it' just another crazy story of crazy Elshari. Ever watched him weaving magic? He is so horrible clumsy and that's a big understatement!"

"Hey Nurmiz-d'ahn!", Fenaly greeted the shop owner, "How are you doing and what is your crazy babbling about?"

Nurmiz-d'ahn grinned. "Crazy babbling, eh, watch your tongue fair lady." Shaking his head he continued: "it's nothing, just some tale of Elshari Kelsin. He said Roozle disappeared. Ah, and I am fine, thank you for asking. But what about you? You look a bit pale.."

Indeed Fenaly turned a little pale as the calling of Roozle's name brought back the creepy feeling of her almost forgotten dream.

Fenaly smirked at Nurmiz-d'ahn's saying, waved good bye and headed south towards the city of Aina.

After short time she passed the city gate and headed directly towards the merchant's way. After an inspections by some dark-watch guards she finally stood before the sign of the star and crescent moon, marking the magic shop of Aina. As Fenaly entered she saw an expression on Elshari Kelsin's face she never had seen on him before. She could remember him looking crazed, burned, acid sprayed or otherwise injured after on of his experiments failed. But she couldn't remember seen him with such a frightened look on his face.

"Ms. Sonaria!, Elshari exclaimed, "It's so good to see you, you I am sure can help, heave you heard yet? Horrible, just horrible, and it wasn't my fault, really, but...well, maybe a little my fault, but I didn't know that something like that... it never has before and..."

"Calm down, Elshari, calm down and take a few deep breaths and then tell me ..from the beginning."

And what a strange story Fenaly heard, about Roozle standing in front of the mirror in the store room of the sorcerers shop, and meanwhile Elshari experimenting with some old teleport scrolls.

"And as the tattered scroll crumbled to dust in my hands, I heard Roozle cry out behind me. I turned around and saw only his hand slowly disappearing into the mirror, and then...he was completely gone. I tried many things and examined the mirror in many ways, but to no reveal, you have to help, I know you will, you do, don't you?"

"Yes I will, although I have no idea what happened. Mirrors sometimes are used to bind teleport spells on them for easy traveling, but such an uncontrolled.....I think I need help figuring out and I think I know the person who might know. I will take the mirror immediately to her."

He felt horrible. His head hurt like a horde of trolls had practiced their dancing skills on him. Slowly he opened his eyes and found himself lying in some kind of store room. He slowly stood up, his body aching all over and feeling so unusual heavy. As he moved he heard clattering noise, as he turned around quickly the noise was even louder and as he slipped and fell to the floor...the noise was unbearable loud. Then he felt the difference and found out where the noise was coming from.

As Roozle looked down on him, his flowing robes were gone and instead he was covered in fine, shiny steel armour. But how... His body and limbs seemed extremely larger than he reminded it. Moving in front of a mirror standing there he shrieked in surprise and disgust as he saw the face of a half-trollish creature looking back at him. Roozle blinked in utter disbelieve, examined his body over and over again of no avail. He was a half-troll, dressed like a fighter, nothing reminding of the human mage with the long white beard in flowing robes of his memories.

He sat down and pondered what could have happened. The last thing he could remember was visiting his old friend Elshari, recharging some serpent staffs and horns of unicorns for him. He had just finished the work, proud of himself as he doubled the charges of one serpent staff. And was trying on the new robe Elshari had given him as a bonus to his wager.

A smile crept across the half-trolls face as he remembered how magnificent he looked in this new wine-red robe in the mirror.... the MIRROR!

Roozle turned his attention once again to the mirror in front of him. It looked exactly the same! In this very moment a voice ripped Roozle out of his thoughts.

Roozle reacted in a most anti-Roozle-like way. He just grabbed the mirror, jumped up, and ran past the katrin shopkeeper, who first looked startled, then began yelling for the guards.

Roozle stormed out and headed quickly through his home town, then slowing his pace to not draw attention on him, he began to examine his surroundings.

Why was the shopkeeper katrin? Where was Elshari? Why were there so many katrin around anyways?

He was nearing the north gate when he snapped back to reality. Quickly he headed east towards Aina's poor district to avoid the katrin guards flanking the city gate.

As Roozle came deeper into the slowly rotting part of Aina, suddenly a thief stood before him.

Roozle slowly put down the mirror and uttered a few magic words.......and nothing happened.

"What are you babbling, knight! Hand over your gold or you taste the flavour of my dagger!"

Did this thief call him a knight? Roozle looked down on his side and found what he was looking for. If he was a knight, then....

In one swift motion he drew his sword and screaming out loud he charged the surprised looking thief. Before the rogue could react, his chest made contact with the half-trolls shoulder, throwing him a few meters down the street. The knight jumped after him, beginning to slash at the risen thief and with a mighty chop to his throat defeated him.

Breathing hard Roozle cleaned his sword and examined the corpse. He had to laugh out loud as on the thief's black leather armour found the insignia of the dark watch guards. The dark watch thieves, Roozle thought chuckling, it seems many things were upside down here, wherever this here was.

Picking off the backpack of the dead mans shoulders he emptied it of the thief's belongings and carefully put in his mirror, then put back what looked useful and some food that still looked edible. Then he turned around and headed towards the city gate, he had to get out. Without any problems he passed by the katrin guards and began to walk north. He uttered a singly magic syllable and....remembered that he was not a mage anymore. With a sigh he continued to walk, dreaming of pixie wings or some yellow scrolls. Without pondering his weird situation he quickly was at the Kettin south gate. A large troll warrior greeted him, telling him to be aware of the filthy dwarves, hiding in the mountain caves to the east.

Confused Roozle entered the beautiful troll city and finally sat down at the fountain in town square. There was so much the same as he remembered and then there was so much totally...upside down. Suddenly he had an idea.

He gathered up and refreshed himself once more before he headed out of the south gate again. He was praying to whatever immortals might watch this crazy realm, that the person he was heading to was as wise as in the realm he remembered to come from. Hopefully her wisdom was not mirrored like so many other things.

With the sun slowly going down in his back he began to walk to the west, entering the rocky landscape of Pardor Range, travelling through the human town of Tarin, that was once occupied by peaceful ogres, now driven down to the sewers, waiting for their chance of overthrowing the humans and restoring their beloved Varin. Leaving both, the city and the mountains Roozle nearly drowned as he wasn't paying attention to the clumsiness of half-trolls even in such calm waters as the lake Tilbar. Darkness caught him as he was reaching the beginning of what was known to him as the Plains of Gorud. After stumbling over a sleeping rabbit he made a small fire and had dinner before exhausted fell asleep, too tired to fear any dangers that could wait out there in the dark.

At the next days dawn Roozle awoke refreshed and hungry. After eating the rest of the rabbit, he continued his way north quickly passed the city of Windy that looked just plain normal, despite the fact that it was totally uninhabited. With a shiver Roozle quickly left this ghost town and before the sun reached it's highest point he was walking along the city walls of Eria. He was about to enter as he jumped back behind some bushes. What did his eyes see there? Shadows guarding the city gates. Hiding as best as he could, he crept past the gate and quickly left behind the shadow city Eria.

Roozle was not paying attention to the grand castle standing to the north as he travelled on, nor did he wonder about the white mages that he encountered instead of the black knights he was used to meet in Bar-Gith. And as he reached the gates what should be the gypsy village and the home of Madame Sylvia, his destination, he wasn't surprised anymore to find lizards inhabiting it. Roozle just turned around and headed to the waterfall a bit to the east. Dropping down the secret entrance he wandered the dark caves and entered one dark room.

Meanwhile Fenaly Sonaria had left Aina and Elshari behind, had recalled to her clanhall, the mirror in her possession and went the same way as Roozle did in this other realm, to Madame Sylvia.

After leaving her clanhall she made a magic portal to a black knight, poking him in the ribs while the poor knight thrust his black lance into the air to by chance hit this invisible mean attacker.

Giggling Fenaly bounced south and soon reached the gates of the gypsy village. As she entered Madame Sylvia's tent she curtseyed and came closer to the table. "Show me this mirror.", Madame Sylvia said.

Fenaly was a bit startled, hadn't she said a word yet and the mirror was still in her backpack. She carefully took out the mirror and unwrapped the cloth she put around to protect it.

Madame Sylvia took it and laid it down on the desk before her. She then look at the mirror, or more through the mirror, Fenaly thought. From the side she could see the reflection of Madame Sylvia's face. Then the picture blurred a little and went back to Madame Sylvia's face.....in a dark cave.

"Cast teleport....now!", Madame Sylvia in the tent whispered to Fenaly. "QUICK!"

A flash followed, filling the tent with blinding light that subsided slowly. Fenaly blinked a few times to get her eyes accustomed again and there on the floor between the shards of the shattered mirror lay a figure in long, wine-red robes.

An hour later the details of the stories were told to and written down by Madame Sylvia. Then she said: "Now we have to make sure that this mirror is not misused again."

"Each shard is as dangerous as the whole mirror was I fear.", Madame Sylvia answered.

"Then we will gather them all and I carry them to the temple of Tatianna herself. I know for sure she will know a safe place for them where no mortal can reach them and no mortal will be in danger anymore." Fenaly said.

So it was done. The shards were gathered and brought to the temple by Roozle and Fenaly.

Madame Sylvia sat before her tent this night and watched these new stars, shining and blinking brightly down on the realms. Almost could she look into this other realm, this other herself when gazing long at one of them. Then with a smile on her face she returned into her tent, carefully caressing the smooth surface of the last shard of the mirror in the mortal realm inside her pocket.

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